The much-anticipated landing of the Mars Science Laboratory with Curiosity, the Red Planet’s next resident rover, is this Monday, at 1:31 a.m. Eastern. Having been configured by the MSL flight team for entry, descent and landing the spacecraft is on final approach for its targeted touchdown in Gale Crater.

Doug McCuistion, Dir., NASA Mars Exploration Program:

“MSL has a huge reach. It reaches back into the past, it reaches out into the future and frankly it reaches around the world. There are nearly ten countries that are involved in this and five of them are major partners. So I hate to, but I will compare it slightly to international gymnastics in that it is going to be a tough series of challenges here for the team to get this to the surface, but at the end we’re all going to stick the landing, right guys?”

Engineers at the Johnson Space Center have conducted a successful 70-second test firing of the Project Morpheus Lander. Morpheus is a vertical test bed vehicle demonstrating new green propellant propulsion systems and ALHAT - Autonomous Landing and Hazard Avoidance Technology This final test at JSC had the vehicle tethered to a crane and included a 60-second hover test, with a 4-second ascent and a 6-second descent.

The lander was later shipped to the Kennedy Space Center, where it’s to undergo its first free-flight testing.

An unpiloted Russian resupply ship, loaded with almost three tons of food, fuel and supplies, linked up to the International Space Station just six hours after its launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Additional engine firings early in its mission were a test to expedite the Progress’ journey to the orbiting laboratory, which normally takes about two days. After analysis by Russian engineers and managers, the technique could be used to similarly shorten a Soyuz vehicle’s route to the station, thereby improving crew comfort as well as extending the life of the return vehicle while docked to the ISS.

A new video spotlighting NASA’s Curiosity Rover was featured during a performance of the National Symphony Orchestra at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, outside Washington, D.C. The video, from director Duncan Copp, was accompanied by a musical selection from the late French composer Georges Bizet. The NSO was under the direction of conductor Emil de Cou. NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden was on hand for the performance.